How Big a Steal Is Dele Alli for Tottenham Hotspur?
Speaking on the eve of the new season, Tottenham Hotspur head coach Mauricio Pochettino was careful to temper expectations around Dele Alli.
"I think that he's very young, his potential is big—for that we signed him—but we need to, always with the younger [players], we need to be careful because pre-season is not the same to compete after in the Premier League," said Pochettino in his pre-Manchester United press conference of the new arrival from MK Dons. "This is our idea, to provide him a different environment than last season in Milton Keynes and try to develop his qualities."
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It is still early days in this development process. However, Pochettino and his coaching staff will be encouraged by Alli's initial response. One that will give them confidence the initial £5 million Tottenham paid for him (per BBC Sport) will prove to be a considerable steal.
Compared to when Gareth Bale scored the above mentioned goal (a wonderfully placed free-kick that lit up an otherwise poor 3-1 defeat to the Gunners), Spurs' academy is producing more viable first-team contenders. Notably in central midfield.
Joined by the imported but youth-team-honed Nabil Bentaleb, Ryan Mason has become a first-team regular. Tom Carroll has been out on loan after his initial involvement but is back in contention, while Josh Onomah and Harry Winks are leading the next batch hoping to stake their claim.
Still, like with Bale, Spurs are not going to pass up the chance to sign a young talent they deem to have considerable potential. Alli, the England youth international whose all-action MK Dons displays were seeing him mentioned in the same breath as Steven Gerrard—such as in this BBC Sport feature by Chris Osborne last September—was very much in that category.
Upon signing in February, Alli cited Spurs and particularly Pochettino's faith in promising young footballers as a significant reason in deciding to come to north London.
"I like the way the manager has been working, developing the youth and bring a lot of young players in," he told Tottenham's official website. "I wanted to come to a club where the manager puts a lot of trust into young players."
The goal in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Leicester City, that made him Spurs' youngest scorer since Bale, was the first return on the trust in Alli.
His debut appearance in the season opener against Manchester United was not especially remarkable. A yellow card for a stoppage-time foul being the most notable occurrence following his 77th-minute introduction in place of Eric Dier. Though unable to help turn around Spurs' 1-0 deficit, what did stand out was how comfortable Alli looked.
He was not shy putting himself about against big-name opponents, getting around all over the pitch. Some of the 19-year-old's attempted forward runs and passes did not come off, but his four interceptions—per Squawka—were testament to a good effort that helped sustain his side's late push for an equaliser.
Alli's bright performance against star-studded Real Madrid in the Audi Cup already suggested he would not be lacking confidence making the transition from League One to top-flight football. His nutmegging of former-Spur Luka Modric the most eye-catching example. But as Pochettino said, you can only learn so much from a pre-season friendly.
Showing his comfort in the Man United game was a start. A positive indicator he would not be out of his depth were he to be called on again. No small thing in impacting a coach's thinking on how to integrate a young player into the senior fold (or in Alli's case, the step-up in competition).
More such steady appearances would have been regarded as a solid contribution to Spurs' midfield work as Alli makes his way in his new environment. Indeed, they still will.
Yet, there is no denying the excitement caused by his performance against Leicester. The first tangible proof that the athleticism, team-ethic and penalty-box prowess that caught the eye at MK Dons was not just a product of a third-tier competition.
One goal does not make a player a success. But the tenacity that informed it—Alli helping gain possession in midfield and then getting forward—was exactly what Spurs were lacking prior to his 65th-minute arrival. Collaborating with Nacer Chadli and Harry Kane, Alli brought the thrust that finally caught the Foxes' sturdy defence out.
The next steps for the soon-to-be England Under-21 international will be replicating such efforts and proving he can have a say in a Premier League game from the opening whistle. The latter is a challenge not only from an individual perspective, but also in a team still figuring itself out early in the campaign.
That Pochettino will almost certainly be considering Alli as a solution to the side's attacking issues (though they obviously also inform the whole team's failure to see out games) says a lot about how much of a bargain he may turn out to be. A teenager barely months out of League One is already on the cusp of being an important component to a Premier League team's improvement.
The coach will not let his young charge get too carried away and will be careful not to place too much of a burden on him. There will be tough games ahead and times when others in the Tottenham midfield are more suitable too.
Nonetheless, Pochettino will be pleased that a player purchased very much with the future in mind is already competing for and making the most of his minutes. If Alli can build from here, his signing will be a considerable steal indeed.
Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
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